He added: “It was never a classic, putting it politely. But when you come away from home in the opening game of the season and come away with something, you’ve got to be delighted.”

Chris Coleman, whose Fulham team certainly played substantially more football than Birmingham, was happy because of his side’s fitness and commitment, by comparison with last season. “In this close season, the training has been harder than it ever was. The players didn’t like it at the start because it was so hard, but they’ve seen improvement in their bodies and now they’re happier. What we’ve tried to do is put the ball back in the players’ court. We’re asking for a bit